All set for London Marathon on Sunday

This weekend’s much awaited 26.1 mile TCS London Marathon event has attracted top runners with global pedigree including four time Champion Eliud Kipchoge.

Kenya’s Alexander Mutiso Munyao won the men’s race in two hours four minutes one second last year, with compatriot Peres Jepchirchir victorious in a women’s only world record of 2:16:16.

With the weather looking sublime, morning temperatures around 50°F (10°C), warming up to 69°F (20°C) by midday, it will be perfect weather for spectators and athletes alike. It’s set to be the biggest of its kind yet, with 56,000 joggers prepped to run on Sunday. This is around 500 more faces than the previous record 55,646 finishers November’s New York Marathon.

According to its organisers, the London race is the most popular marathon in the world: 840,318 runners entered the ballot to take part in the 2025 edition, a 43 percent increase on last year. Records will be under threat when the 45th edition of the London Marathon takes place on Sunday. Stacked elite fields will have course and world records in their sights, with a £98,000 (Ksh 16.9 million) bonus available to anyone successful in achieving the latter in the men’s and women’s races.

The course begins at Greenwich Park and ends on The Mall, where runners will cross the finishing line after passing Buckingham Palace. The mostly flat route takes in several other London landmarks, including Tower Bridge, Canary Wharf and Big Ben.

Two time Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge leads the names in the elite men’s race also headlined by defending champion Alexander Mutiso Munyao and Ethiopia’s Olympic champion Tamirat Tola, but Kipchoge’s long-time rival Kenenisa Bekele was a late withdrawal. Half marathon world record holder Jacob Kiplimo makes his debut after becoming the first person to run a half marathon in under 57 minutes in February.

Tola and Munyao will compete alongside the likes of Sabastian Sawe, who ran last year’s Valencia Marathon with a fastest-ever time for a debutant in history, of 2:02:05.

World record holder Ruth Chepngetich and defending champion Peres Jepchirchir have withdrawn from this year’s elite women’s race. Both are struggling with fitness issues that means it is an open  meet for the rest of the pack registered in the competition.

Last year, Chepchirchir, the 2021 Olympic champion, won a closely-contested women’s race in a world-record time for a women’s only race. She crossed the tape in 2:16.16 , while Munyao won the men’s race in 2:04.01. Home favourite Emile Cairess was third.

The race winners will receive £41,000 (Ksh 7,083,114.90), while a £112,000 (Ksh 19,348,996) bonus will be paid to any man running under 2:02:00 or woman under 2:15:00.For the first time there’s equal prize money for all elite athletes.